Satellite view this morning of what is probably going to become Tropical Storm Ophelia off the southeastern United States coast. |
Or maybe Phillippe if a cluster of thunderstorms off the coast of Africa can get its act together and turns into a tropical storm before the thing off the Southeast Coast manages to do the same.
For now, we'll call the one we're worried about more Wannabe Ophelia.
I've been calling it a weird storm because it started as a regular storm and is beginning to transition into one that is more of a tropical storm. For the record, during the transition, a storm like this is called a subtropical storm.
A regular storm forms near the boundary of warm humid air to the south and cooler air to the north. This type of storm usually has a warm and a cold front, and doesn't have a nice circular shape like most tropical storms and hurricanes.
That's how Wannabe Ophelia started. But now, strong thunderstorms are trying to get going, so far mostly north of the storm's center. A tropical storm usually starts as a cluster of thunderstorms over warm water, which is what this thing is trying to do. It's also trying to become more independent from the warm and cold fronts near it.
The thinking is the cold and warm fronts with the storm will eventually fade and this will become a subtropical or tropical storm.
All of this technical and really won't matter to the people who will be hit by the storm. Whatever you want to call Wannabe Ophelia, it was getting stronger this morning with top winds of 50 mph.
More strengthening is possible as it moves north and it's forecast to hit eastern North Carolina by Saturday. The storm is already causing heavy rain and the risk of flooding in eastern North Carolina.
It'll have all the characteristics of a strong tropical storm, with gusty, possibly damaging winds, flooding rains, and storm surges.
THEN WHAT?
Once Wannabe Ophelia hits land, and if it's a tropical storm by then, it will start to transition back again to a regular, but very wet storm. The question for us in Vermont is how far north will it get?
It's pretty safe to say Wannabe Ophelia will have enough oomph to cause some flooding in the Mid-Atlantic states. After that, strong high pressure in Quebec will want to shove this thing east out to sea.
But will Wannabe Ophelia be able to push rain into Vermont before it gets shunted off and away from New England?
The computer models aren't sure. It's becoming more and more likely that it will rain in southern Vermont this weekend because of Wannabe Ophelia. Nobody is sure, though, how far north the rain will get.
It could be a pleasant, dry weekend in northern Vermont, or it could be a cool, cloudy one with maybe some light rain. Two very different options here.
No matter what, it looks like a pretty safe bet that if Wannabe Ophelia does make it rain in Vermont, it won't be enough to renew any flooding worries.
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